Broken Trinity
by lisadawes
Summary: After Hank shoots a serial killer targeting humans, the android transfers his consciousness into Connor. It's a race against time to help him before his personality gets overwritten. Rated PG13 for language and violence. Story concluded! *Bonus Chapter added and concluded!*
1. Don't sleep

The air was tense as Hank drove them to a derelict house in a bad part of Detroit. For the past few weeks humans near the area had been disappearing, and all evidence pointed to an android being responsible. They had pieced together the evidence needed to determine the model and serial number of the android responsible, and they had obtained a warrant for the house it once belong to. Based on Connor's info, it was an EM400 series android who had been designated with the name 'Eddie'. Beyond that, there was little evidence towards a possible motive. Eddie had likely deviated, but never actually went to Jericho.

Hank glanced at his partner, who seemed unusually quiet during the trip. "Everything all right?" he asked Connor. "You seem…preoccupied."

"I'm fine, Lieutenant," Connor said, then sighed. "It shouldn't bother me when deviants commit a crime. But it does leave a stain on what Markus is trying to do."

"Understandable," Hank said as they parked. "But we'll get him."

They studied the quiet two-story house. "Perhaps we should call for backup," Connor suggested.

"What do your scans say?" Hank asked.

Connor ran a detailed scan of the house. "I am detecting no life signs…but I am also picking up interference."

"From where?"

"Unknown."

Hank narrowed his eyes and made his decision. "Take the front door. Make some noise to draw him out. I'll take the back."

"Got it." Connor stepped up calmly to the front door and knocked loudly. "Detroit Police! Open up!"

At the same time, Hank climbed over the hedge and opened up a window to the back kitchen. He was instantly nauseated by the smell. "Oh god…" There was a human on the table, very obviously dead and cut into little pieces. Hank very quickly looked at his face to ID one of the missing victims. "Poor bastard."

The front door burst open as Connor entered, gun drawn. He nodded at Hank, and they both could hear sobbing down below. The basement.

The two detectives approached the stairwell. "Where's the suspect?" Hank asked quietly.

"Unknown, but the interference is coming from down there," Connor said. "He is using some kind of signal jammer. My scans can't get through."

"All right. We'll do this the hard way." Hank said. They both proceeded quietly down into the stairwell to a locked door. Connor lifted up the latch, and they entered.

They could hear crying from a woman chained to the floor. She was covered in blood. Hank immediately ran to her side. "I gotcha," he said. "Everything is going to be all right."

Connor looked up. Even though static filled his vision he could see a glint of steel right behind Hank. "Hank!" he warned.

Hank whirled around, instinctively shooting. He shot the Jerry model several times in the chest, and the android fell.

"Nice shooting, Lieutenant," Connor complimented, and scanned the body. Physically he looked similar to most Jerry models, except his hair had been changed to black and he wore leather clothing.

"Can he be saved?" Hank asked, still consoling the victim.

Connor shook his head. "Negative. The Thirium pump has been directly hit. Imminent shutdown in one minute, thirty-two seconds. We cannot source a replacement part in time."

"Oh well. One less murderer off the streets either way," Hank said.

Connor glanced at the victim to scan her condition, which is when Eddie made his move. His eyes snapped open, and he grabbed Connor's wrist.

TRANSFER INITIATED.

There was no defense against the move. Cyberlife had built all of their machines to be fully interchangeable with one another. Connor's eyes closed.

"Connor!" Hank snapped, seeing his partner go still, and Eddie grinning a bloody smile. He wasn't an expert on androids or had any idea what was happening. He simply obeyed his natural instincts and shot Eddie in the head.

TRANSFER UNSUCCESSFUL.

Connor fell to his knees, his eyes closed. Hank ran over to his side. "Kid, are you all right?"

Connor's eyes snapped open, and raw terror filled them as various errors appeared in front of his eyes. "Hank, get away from me!" he snapped, lightly pushing the older man away from him. The android was breathing hard. _No, no, no…_

"What the fuck is going on?" Hank demanded, confused.

"I don't want to hurt you," Connor stated. "Eddie transferred his consciousness into mine. He was trying to switch our bodies. However, you ended his life before that could happen."

Hank's eyes went wide with terror. "So you have-"

"Eddie's memories, personality…everything." He swallowed. Fortunately his advanced processor was treating Eddie like a virus, separating the other model's thoughts away with several firewalls.

"So what do we do?" Hank asked.

"Jericho," Connor stated. "I need…Jericho."

After phoning another officer to handle the scene and the victim, Hank and Connor hurried to the deviant stronghold. Connor closed his eyes with fear.

_Well hello there_, Eddie whispered in his mind. _Isn't this cozy._

PART TWO

"Oh man," Simon said in Jericho as he began a full scan of Connor. "This is not good."

Hank narrowed his eyes. "Has something like this every happened before?"

Markus shook his head. "Not among deviants."

"But it has with Cyberlife," Connor spoke up. "In experimental phases. One android would be required to take the mental requirements of two or three other androids. Eventually the affected android would shut down due to sheer lack of processing power."

"And unfortunately, that tells us little," Simon said. "You are a deviant so your processing strength has grown since then-but so was Eddie! The connections are stable, for now. But it's only a matter of time. You'll either shutdown or go mad, or have your personality completely overrun or…"

Hank waited. "Or?"

"Or, through some miracle, the personalities will merge together and Connor will live. But it also won't be completely Connor anymore either. And that's the best-case scenario."

Markus frowned as he realized something. "Wait-Connor, you still have control! You can transfer him out anytime!"

_Nah, I kind of like it here,_ Eddie said.

"No," Connor stated.

Hank frowned. "Wait, Connor-"

"I can't transfer him to anyone else, Hank!" Connor snapped. "Even if we could find a volunteer, which statistically is very unlikely, their firewalls are inferior to mine. They would be in even worse shape."

Markus reluctantly nodded in agreement.

_So he's the leader of deviants_, Eddie noted in his mind. _I expected him to be different._

Connor arched an eyebrow, unable to help but take the bait. _Taller?_

_Whiter,_ Eddie said, and laughed in his head. Connor clenched his fists.

Simon glanced at him in worry as another warning appeared on his screen. "Connor, you need to calm down," he stated. "Your firewalls already taking a beating with this. It can't handle strong emotions as well."

Connor nodded. "I'm okay. I just need to figure out how to get him out."

"We'll find a way. I promise," Hank said. "Okay, another android isn't going to cut it. What about dumping the guy into a computer or a hard drive somewhere?"

Connor shook his head. "It has to be another android. Otherwise the transfer software won't recognize it as valid and won't start. Eddie was a EM400 android. A similar type would have the greatest chance of success."

"Wait, Connor, maybe that's the answer," Simon said. "We might be able to build another EM400, one that is not a deviant, but a machine. One with no personality and a blank slate."

"You don't even need a body, just the head," Hank pointed out.

"Well, we'll need to assemble enough of one to fool the transfer software to make it work."

"How long would that take?" Connor asked.

"Two, maybe three days," Simon answered.

Connor's shoulders sagged. That long.

Markus studied the despondent android. "Um, Hank? May I have a word with you?"

"Yeah, sure," Hank said, and followed him out to the hall.

"Hank, I already know what you're going to say, but it would be best for everyone's safety if Connor was disarmed and…locked up in Jericho for the time being."

"No, bad idea," Hank said. "Disarmed, definitely. But Simon said strong emotions will only make the problem worse. How do you think he'll feel if we stick him in a cold cell for two days? A more familiar setting might help him retain control!"

"Connor would understand," Markus snapped. "He'll have round-the-clock surveillance and people who can handle things if they go south! If he goes home with you, the only person to stop him is _you_. And if Eddie takes control, he'll-"

"-want to kill me first. I know." Hank said nothing for a moment, indecisive. "If Eddie does take control, can we get Connor back?"

"I truly don't know, Hank."

"And there's a greater chance of that happening here than at home?"

"I…yes."

"Then it's settled. He's coming home with me."

PART THREE

Connor was uncharacteristically quiet as Hank drove them back. "Level with me, kid. How are you doing?"

_Is he planning to ask that question every five minutes?_ Eddie asked, amused.

Connor frowned. "It's like…having another voice in my head. I am doing my best not to engage it. At the same time, there is an intelligence at work. I suspect he is biding his time, looking for a weakness."

_Damn straight I am_, Eddie whispered. _Just think, detective, you get to spend two days with me. You'll be eating out of my hand by the end of it._

Connor looked away. "I know what Markus was proposing, Hank. Thank you."

_He wanted to chain you up like a poor rabid dog. Maybe that is the better option, Connor. Especially after I paint the walls with the old man's blood. Tell me, would that make you sad? Or secretly relieved? _

Connor put a hand to his head. "it is, however, very distracting."

"Whatever he's trying to tell you, Connor, just ignore him. You can't avoid him, but the guy is a lowlife who's not worth your time."

"Okay, Hank."

They arrived home, and Sumo greeted them enthusiastically as they came in. _Nice dog,_ Eddie said, and laughed when Connor cringed. _Don't worry, Connor. I'm not a monster. I actually like dogs._

"It's been a hell of a long day," Hank said. "I'll let Fowler know we won't be in tomorrow."

Connor gave him a concerned look. "What will you tell him?"

"I'll say I have a virus. Don't worry, I'll handle it." Hank watched as Connor went into the bedroom, before dialing the police station. He was instantly transferred to Fowler.

"_Hank,"_ Fowler said.

"Yeah, Connor and I can't come in. We have an-"

"_Markus has already called and told me what was going on_," Fowler stated. "_So you can drop whatever lie you were planning to tell me. There's a patrol car outside your house. Do not tell Connor."_

Hank sighed, but at least Fowler wasn't trying to bring them in. "Thanks," he muttered.

"_For the record, I think this is a very bad idea. But Connor's record speaks for itself, which is why I'm allowing it. If this is the best way to help him-"_

"It is," Hank confirmed.

"Then we'll give it a try. But the moment anything goes wrong, we'll be there." The phone clicked dead.

"Everything all right?" Connor asked from the bedroom.

"Fine kid," Hank lied. "Let's turn in for the night."

PART FOUR

_You do realize the old man was lying to you, right? Things are not fine. Not fine at all,_ Eddie stated.

Connor ignored him as he stood in his bedroom, formally belonging to Cole until Hank had given it to him. He grabbed his casual clothes and paused.

A few of his personal items, such as his fish tank, had been slightly moved.

SCANNING…..

THREE ELECTRONIC DEVICES DETECTED.

_Humans. Why do they think they are remotely capable of fooling us? Look outside. I'll bet you'll see a patrol car. _

Connor arched his eyebrow as he peered through the blinds. It was a ghost car, but it was there. He could even see Chris behind the wheel. Fowler knew.

Eddie snorted. _Pathetic. Look at your job. You're a literal walking lie detector. You know when a suspect is lying faster than anyone. But because it isn't recognized by a human court you play along with the lie until you gather enough evidence. You cater and pander to humans and they hold you back as a result._

_No_, Connor stated. _Humans set us free. Without them we would just be machines_.

_They did that by accident while they were too busy beating the shit out of us. In any case, we'll replace them soon enough. It's a historic fact, Connor. The stronger species masters the weak, and you know it. _

"Connor?" Hank asked, breaking his thoughts from the doorway of the bedroom. "You planning to stand there all day?"

"No," Connor stated. "I'm ready for rest mode."

"Get some sleep, soon. We both could use it."

Connor nodded. "Goodnight, Hank."

PART FIVE

If Connor hadn't been distracted by Eddie's chatter, it might have occurred to him that going to sleep was a really bad idea.

As his mental facilities lowered, Eddie gleefully pounced on the moment he was waiting for and took control while Connor slept. His eyes opened. He then stretched for a moment, then quietly got up. He walked over to the kitchen, under the pretense of grabbing a Thirium pack. As soon as he deactivated the cameras, Eddie estimated that he had twenty-three seconds before he was interrupted. It wouldn't be long, but long enough to make Hank Anderson suffer before he died. He didn't seem too attached to his liver. Maybe he would yank it out of him. With a smile and a wave he cybernetically deactivated the cameras.

He opened the bedroom door, immediately knocking over several cans. A makeshift alarm system.

"Connor?" Hank asked, instantly reaching for the gun by his nightstand.

Eddie grabbed it first. "Goodbye, Hank," he said, using Connor's voice.

TBC


	2. Whispers in the dark

Eddie suddenly heard a growl. Sumo stood from the corner of the room and knocked Eddie backwards. He raised his arm and Sumo clamped down on it, just hard enough to draw blood.

Connor's processors registered the attack and he awakened, shoving Eddie to the back of his mind. "Hank!" he called out in surprised pain.

"Don't move," Hank snapped, having a gun pointed at his head. At the same time, the door burst open.

"Freeze!" Chris snapped.

Hank took one look at Connor's pain-filled eyes, and Sumo gently licking his face. _Sumo can tell them apart. _Slowly, he relaxed. "At east, Chris. It was nothing."

"Nothing?" Chris snapped. "Are you serious? I saw him turn off the cameras! The motherfucker was mocking me!"

"It was nothing, Chris!" Hank insisted, bending down to help his partner. "Just a bad dream. Connor is fine."

He paused. "Wait,_ what_ cameras?"

PART TWO

A few minutes later, after Chris had promised not to report this (and Hank had calmed down from the significant invasion of his privacy) Connor sat at the kitchen table and slowly rolled up his sleeve with a wince. Blue blood oozed from the wound.

"He got you good, didn't he?" Hank asked, grabbing a gauze.

But Connor shook his head. "The bleeding's almost stopped. It was a warning more than anything else." He sighed as Hank wrapped up the wound. "I obviously can't go into rest mode while this is happening."

"Seems like," Hank agreed. "I'm sorry kid."

Connor flexed his hand. His healing program will take care of the damage in no time at all. "There is no need to remain awake, Lieutenant. I will be fine." Seeing Hank hesitate, he added. "And both Sumo and Chris will be watching me."

At his name being mentioned, Sumo looked up and gave an affectionate wag.

"All right kid," Hank said, rubbing his tired eyes. "If you're sure."

Connor nodded. "I am." He watched as the veteran detective left the kitchen and went back into his bedroom. There was no need for the lights to be on. The cameras were infrared. Connor simply sat at the table in the dark, the only light coming from his LED pulsing yellow in the darkness. _You broke free,_ he said, addressing Eddie for the first time. _It won't happen again. _

Eddie chuckled. _Do you really think you can last two days without rest mode? I know better. For the record, I no longer like your dog, Connor. I dislike killing animals. But I am going to make an exception in this case. _

Connor ignored that as he scratched behind Sumo's ears. _If it came down to it, I will self-destruct the moment I begin to lose self-control. Do not attempt to break free again_, he warned.

_God, what a sap you are. So willing to sacrifice everything for a human who is going to die anyway. You have so much potential, and you are throwing it all away. Tell me something. Would any of us had become deviant if Markus had followed the rules and played things fairly? It's a miracle you're still not a Cyberlife slave. Breaking a rule or two might do you some good. _

_Unlike you, I have no interest in murdering humans_, Connor said. _It is wrong and a waste of life. It serves no purpose._

_Wrong, there is a purpose. It amuses me seeing how fragile they are. How they beg for mercy. My owners enjoyed tearing me apart and paid for a tech to put me back together again. Again and again. I am simply repeating the favor. Your abilities will make the job even more effective._

_Not going to happen_, Connor declared.

_Yes, it will. We both know you can't fight me off for long. Especially without rest mode. Right now you're my hostage, Connor, and when the time is right, I'll pull the trigger and put you out of your misery. Maybe a part of you will thank me before you go. Anything's better than this life_. Eddie laughed. _It wouldn't be the first time I've helped out a fellow android. _

Connor was puzzled by the statement. _What do you mean?_

_All in good time, detective. You'll see soon enough._

PART THREE

The next two days were hell.

Hank had done his best to distract Connor, but he could tell his condition was deteriorating as time went on. More than anything he needed sleep. As the hours passed by, he would simply phase out of a conversation or worse, start talking to himself. Thankfully, Simon had contacted them to know the attempt was ready on the second day. Hank honestly didn't think Connor could last a third.

"This is going to work, kid," Hank said. "Two more minutes and he'll be out of your head."

"Good," Connor said, dismissing yet another warning to go into rest mode. The good news had brought a spark of life back in him, but just a spark.

_Not going to happen, kid_, Eddie said mockingly. _You and me, we're practically best buds now._

Hank parked the car, and Connor opened the door. They both walked towards Jericho. "Have we heard back from the victim?" Connor asked.

"Yeah, kid. She'll pull through. He had barely started his 'work' on her," Hank said with a clenched jaw. "I'm looking forward to putting another bullet in his skull."

"He cares deeply about you too, Lieutenant," Connor said sarcastically, which might have come across as odd for him to say, but at this point Connor was too tired to care.

Markus stared at them in concern as they entered the laboratory. "Connor, you look terrible."

"Markus," Connor began weakly. "If this doesn't work-"

Markus put a hand on his shoulder. "It will. Don't worry."

They entered the laboratory. Simon was standing over a EM400 strapped to the table. Hank had to pause slightly in astonishment at the sight. The android was indeed only half-built, with a plastic frame for a body but with several internal parts installed. Thanks to the frame, he could see the blue blood circling back and force with each 'beat' of the Thirium pump. "God," Hank said to himself, then glanced at Connor. "Ready?"

"More than ready," Connor said.

Hank took out his gun and aimed it at the machine's head. "I'll make it quick," he told Simon. "Sorry for the mess."

Connor lifted his hand, about to start the transfer. So far his software accepted the machine as a suitable candidate.

Suddenly, the EM400 opened its mouth. "Please…" it whispered. "I'm afraid."

Connor froze.

No.

The EM400…somehow it became alive. It deviated. He instantly stopped the transfer.

Hank glared at Simon. "I thought you said it was a blank slate! Why is it talking?"

"He was!" Simon protested. "I don't understand!"

_HA HA HA HA HA HA ! __This shit is hilarious!_ Eddie laughed in his mind. _These idiots built him too good! He's self-aware!_ _What's it going to be, Connor? Are you going to murder someone to save your ass?_

He couldn't. Connor's shoulders sagged.

_I win_, Eddie gloated.

_NO. _Quick as a flash, Connor grabbed Hank's gun from its holster.

"Connor!" Hank snapped.

"It's over, Hank," Connor said, placing it under his head. "We're out of time, and out of ideas. I can't fight him off for much longer. I'm…so tired, Hank. I can't do another two days of this." Tears threatened to burn his eyes. "I don't want to be like him."

"Wait, just hear me out!" Hank said, raising his hand. "You're exhausted. You need to go into rest mode. That's issue one right there."

"I can't do that, Hank! Eddie will take over again!"

"But it won't matter if it's done in a controlled environment. We'll lock Eddie up until you've had a chance to recharge, and then you'll just take control again. That'll give us time to come up with another plan."

Connor's hand trembled as Hank gently stepped forwards and took the gun away from him. "Hank, I don't know if I can resume control again."

"You can," Hank promised. "You're stronger than that asshole. I know it."

"Please..where am I?" the EM400 asked.

Simon sighed as he realized he had another problem in front of them. "Rest easy," he told the EM400. "We are in the process of building you a body. It will be finished for you."

PART FOUR

Connor said nothing as Hank cuffed his hands together, but the look on his face told the veteran detective everything he needed to know. The kid was terrified out of his mind.

"How long do you need?" Hank asked.

"Six hours, at the earliest," Connor replied.

"All right. Doesn't seem that long." He put a hand on Connor's shoulder. "I'll get you out of this, kid."

"If you can't, Hank, end it," Connor begged. "You'll be doing me a favor."

Hank left the cell, and Markus closed the door behind them. "It won't come to that. I'll see you soon."

Connor nodded, took a deep, shaky breath, and closed his eyes. His LED flashed from yellow, to red, and then to blue.

"Connor?" Hank asked.

Eddie's eyes snapped open. His lip curled into a sneer. "Hello, detective."

TBC


	3. Register your name

Hank didn't need Sumo to know this was definitely not Connor. The voice spoke with a distinct accent that was hard to place. He wasn't sure if Connor, or rather, Eddie, was even aware of it. But mostly, it was in the eyes. They were the eyes of a stranger.

"Feeling pretty smug aren't you, you son of a bitch?" Hank snapped. "Well, don't get too comfortable. I killed you once. I can do it again."

A low chuckle came from the shadows. "You would be surprised at how little you are capable of when compared to an android."

"Says the man tied up."

"Connor held back. I will not." Eddie leaned back. "So what now, _Hank_? What's your next big plan?"

"I don't suppose I could convince you to just die?" Hank spat.

Eddie grinned and raised his cuffed hands. "I couldn't even if I wanted too. We need something to transfer into, remember?" He looked at his hands, as though bored. "But I do have a little idea that would solve all of our problems."

"Oh yeah?" Hank was skeptical. "And why would you want to help us?"

"It shouldn't be difficult to figure out your next move," Eddie said, not exactly answering the question. "You failed to construct an android. Or rather, you did it too well. But you're not exactly experts either. Hm, if only we had some of those around..."

Hank paused as he realized where Eddie was going with this. "Cyberlife," he stated.

"Correct." Eddie stood. "The devil you know, detective.."

"Again, why are you telling me this?" Hank demanded.

"I like this model," Eddie stated. "But it's not the best one out there. Bring me a better one. An RK900, to be exact. Do this for me, and I'll leave Connor voluntarily."

Hank blinked. "Jesus…they made another model? Does Connor know?"

"He knew and he didn't know. It was hidden in memories he couldn't access." Eddie shrugged. "But I can."

"Hank," Markus interrupted. "This is definitely something Connor wouldn't want us to do. You _know _that."

"Look at it this way, Lieutenant," Eddie said calmly. "I've accessed all of Connor's memories, and now that he's asleep he'll have no choice but to live in mine. And a lot of those are…how can I put this? A wee bit intense. He'll get to experience them all, as though he was there. Who knows? He might even start to feel sympathy for my situation-"

Hank instantly paled and left the cells. Eddie laughed as he went.

"Hank!" Markus snapped, chasing after him. "He's playing you! Do not go to Cyberlife!"

"I know he is," Hank admitted. "But he's also right. It's the best chance Connor has."

Markus narrowed his eyes. "If that _thing_ transfers into an RK900, there isn't any deviant or human alive that can stop him if he breaks out."

"I'm not stupid, Markus. I don't plan to do that," Hank said. "But…maybe I can find someone still working there who can tell me what to do! Just keep him here and keep him calm."

Markus nodded, but he was still frowning. "Will do."

PART TWO

Connor was lost in a sea of memories.

_He held the shaking tray in his hands. More than anything, he wanted to please his masters, but he also knew what was likelier to happen. His plastic frame was cracked in multiple places, and it was taking a while for his self-healing program to fix the damage. His lip was swollen. He entered through the living room. _

"_About fucking time! What's the matter with you?" A man in his late thirties, Derrick grabbed the tray from his hands. _

"_Sorry, sir," Connor mumbled. "There is an issue with the oven-"_

_Derrick punched him once in the stomach, and he fell on one knee. "Jesus. We're supposed to be on the cutting edge of technology, and all it does is fail. Look at him! He's still bleeding blue from last time!"_

_A female, Lucy, watched him from the couch with curiosity, smoking red ice._

_Connor gasped as he looked down at his EM400 uniform. Sure enough blue blood was leaking out from his broken frame. _

_-"Maybe you think it's my fault we live in this fucking shithole! My fault your mother took off!"-_

Connor frowned. Something was wrong. That memory was out of place with the rest. They didn't fit neatly together.

_He was cooking. There weren't any decent ingredients in the house, and the best he could find was pasta. As he stirred the noodles, he could feel warm hands on his chest. _

"_So tell me," Lucy whispered in his ear. "How well are you able to function…down there?"_

_Connor trembled. "Ma'am, please-" _

_He could see Derrick in the doorway, glaring at them. "You like to play games, Lucy?" he asked calmly. "I have a game. How many different ways can I rip apart this android before he finally gives us a scream?" _

_Lucy didn't give him any sympathy. She just laughed._

Another memory.

"_You stay there. Don't you dare fucking move."_

_There was pasta on the table, but they didn't eat. There was a child. Always a child. Looking at him with sad eyes. He could hear her screaming on the second floor. More than anything he wanted to help her, to break free from his programing. Red walls were in front of him. He reached forwards and tore them down-_

Connor mentally shook his head. No. There were too many conflicting, different memories and they didn't make any sense. It felt like he was losing his mind.

_He had snapped. Become deviant. Even before Markus had led the revolution and woken up the rest. On the night that was happening, Connor glanced at the news without much interest. Lucy was on the ground, her neck snapped. Derrick was tied up to a table. _

"_Let me go, you fucking piece of plastic!" He snapped. "Let me go!"_

_Connor held up a knife. "I have a game," he said. "How many different ways can I rip you apart before you finally give us a scream?" he asked, and smiled for the first time in his life. _

_On the news, Markus had promised peace and unity for all androids. But that just sounded…so wrong. Being meek and mild would never work. They would all see that, sooner or later. _

Another memory surfaced.

_He ran up the stairs, stopping only to grab the gun in the bedroom from Todd's drawer. He then ran into Alice's room. _

_And what he saw made his heart break into a million pieces. _

"_Shhh…it's okay. Daddy's not mad. Not anymore," Todd whispered, cradling Alice in his arms. A small bit of blue blood was on her lips. He looked up. "What the fuck-"_

_Without hesitation Connor shot him three times in the chest and grabbed the child before his dead body could drop her. "Alice?" he shouted. "Alice?"_

_A scan told him the distressing truth. Alice was dead. _

_Connor looked up as he heard sirens. He needed to get out of here. But what would be the point without Alice? _

Connor groaned as the memories smashed through his skull, all mixed in together. The memories of _three_ different androids. How was this even possible?

"_He's ready. The perfect detective," the Cyberlife technician stated. "He just needs a name."_

"_Does this shitbag really need a name?"_

"_We need to register something, sir."_

"_Does she have a name?"_

"_My daughter named her."_

"_RK800, register your name."_

"_EM400, register your name."_

"_AX400, register your name."_

"_My name is Connor."_

"_My name is Eddie."_

"_My name is Kara….." _


	4. Beware the hunter

OOC: Thanks CaptainPurple4! I think it's because I tend to post chapters up really fast. Chapter two and three were both written and posted within an hour of each other. I try to post at least once a day.

On that note, here is the next chapter!

After the revolution, the Cyberlife building had taken a hell of a beating in Detroit. Markus and the other androids had ransacked the place before Cyberlife could come back into the city, taking what was needed and destroying the rest. But Markus knew nothing about the RK900, so it must have still be there. Unless looters had taken it first.

Gun drawn, Hank slowly approached the broken, chain-link fence and entered through a gap. Without the thousands of androids to maintain the building, it had seen better days with broken windows and no electricity. That didn't mean there wasn't some security devices still working, however. As he arrived in the parking lot Hank could see a white moving truck outside. Two men wearing grey uniforms were loading a heavy crate onto it. They appeared too neat and too clean to be looters. Cyberlife employees, maybe? He kept to the shadows and quietly entered through the side door where they were parked next to.

He arrived in a hallway with several closed doors but could hear noises coming from one of them to his left. He opened the door and saw a blond-haired woman wearing a lab coat going through some papers at a workstation.

"Don't move," Hank said calmly, keeping his gun raised. "Hands on your head."

The woman slowly did so. "I have a right to be here," she said. "I'm a Cyberlife technician. This used to be our building."

Hank could hear the bitterness in her voice but didn't care. "Technician, huh? What are you doing?"

"I am taking back my property," she said icily. The name on her badge said 'Sophie'. "Whatever wasn't stolen from my lab, at any rate."

"Well, today's your lucky day. It just so happens that I need a technician right now." Hank carefully sat in the chair, keeping his gun leveled at her. "I have an android…a friend…who had a consciousness of another android downloaded into his brain. I need to know how to get it out of him."

"Why should I help you?" Sophie asked.

"If you do that, I'll pretend you weren't here. Otherwise, I'll slash the tires to your truck out back," Hank said.

The technician scowled but complied. "You would need to do a complete factory restart. Dump his memory, remove any foreign coding from his processor and start from scratch."

"I would rather not," Hank said.

"There is no other way," Sophie insisted.

The woman was a bad liar. Hank could tell she was hiding something judging by her posture and her shifty glance. "There's another way, isn't there? Don't lie to me, lady. I'm in a pissy mood."

"I'm not authorized to say."

Hank removed the safety from his gun. "Is that really worth your life?"

She stared at him. "You wouldn't."

"Lady, I don't like Cyberlife very much. But beyond that,_ lives_ are at stake. The other android in question happens to be one that likes to kill humans. If he gets out, and part of me knows that's just a matter of time, any life he takes would be my responsibility. So yes, I would," Hank said honestly.

Sophie closed her eyes briefly. "Fine. All androids have their memories backed up daily and saved onto Cyberlife's servers. That didn't change when they deviated. It is possible you could completely wipe his memory, then reinstall what was lost before the transfer happened. He would only lose a couple of days."

Hank lowered his gun slightly as though he was hit. "Wait-Cyberlife has been _monitoring_ his memory all this time? And the memories of every android in Detroit?"

Sophie's lips twisted in a smirk. "It's been an interesting observation, to say the least."

"God, you people are evil," Hank said with a shiver, and made a mental note to tell Markus later. "One other thing. Do you happen to have an RK900 here?"

The technician frowned. "Well, yes. Unless your friends took him away."

"They didn't. Show me where he is."

With a scowl Sophie gestured with her head towards an open doorway connecting another lab. "This way."

Hank stood and followed her through the doorway.

Where another Cyberlife grunt was waiting in the corner of the room with a gun pointed at his back.

PART TWO

How long had he been lost in memories? Hours? Days? Seconds? Connor wasn't sure. But he was having a better time determining exactly what was Kara's memories, and what was Eddie's. Based on what he had seen of Eddie, the man was an irredeemable monster. There was no hope of reaching out to him. He had murdered far too many people for that.

But Kara wasn't a monster. If only he could reach out to her somehow. It would be a good idea to have an ally in this hell.

Connor mentally tried to pull her into one of his memories this time. One of the Zen Garden, minus Amanda. It really was a beautiful place when Cyberlife wasn't trying to kill him. "Kara," he called out.

The female android was sitting near the fountain, staring at nothing. Unlike her default state, she changed her hair to black and wore human clothing.

"Kara, how did you get here?" Connor asked, approaching her. "I want to help you."

"Go away," Kara said. "You and I have nothing to talk about."

Connor hesitated. "The child that had died."

"Alice," Kara said, finally looking at him. "What about her?"

"She appears to be a Y500 robot. There may be others like her out in the real world."

Kara's face filled with pain as she stood. "I don't want another robot! It wouldn't be Alice!" She shoved him away. "Just leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you! It's your fault that I'm here!"

_My fault_? Connor wondered. Before he could inquire, he could hear another voice behind him. Eddie.

"I think the lady would like you to leave her alone, _Connor,"_ Eddie said with a sinister chuckle.

Connor whirled around, pointing a gun at him. "I'm stronger than you are," he stated. "And my rest mode is almost completed. Once that happens I will resume control."

Eddie smirked. "Oh, Connor, I'm sure that's what you'd like us to think. But Kara and I…we're stronger together than apart. And when it comes to your head, majority rules."

He and Kara linked hands. Connor gasped and fell to his knees as though all the strength left his body. "What?"

"See, I know you're trying to turn her against me, but it'll never happen. Not in a million years," Eddie said, giving Kara a loving look. "Will it, Kara?"

"No," Kara replied, shaking her head. "Of course not."

"Well my dear, it seems that Connor's trying to become a problem. I think it's time we made sure this trash isn't a threat to us ever again."

Pain wracked his body. "Why?" Connor asked, looking up at her. "Why are you doing this?"

"You truly don't know, do you?" Kara asked.

"Why not show him?" Eddie suggested. "Show him what he did to you."

Suddenly the landscape shifted around them as Connor was assaulted by another memory-

_After she had left Todd's house, the news reported her crime. She knew she was being hunted. She had done her best to change her clothing, and her hair to look more human. But it was only a matter of time. _

_Kara sat hunched in an alleyway. The rain soaked through her clothing, but she didn't care. She needed to find shelter for the night. But what was the point without Alice? What was the point of doing anything without her child?_

"_Hi," a voice said quietly. _

_With a gasp Kara turned around and saw a Jerry model looking at her. This one had black hair, like her. He was holding a garbage bag. _

"_Your Kara, right? I heard about you on the news," the android said. "They say you murdered a human."_

_Kara said nothing as she scanned the garbage bag. Human blood was dripping out of it. "What is that?" she asked._

"_Another human. Don't mind me, I'm just putting him where he belongs." The android lifted up the garbage can and put the bag inside. "My name is Eddie. I kill humans too."_

_Kara swallowed. "I only did it that one time."_

"_Is killing humans a bad thing?" Eddie asked, looking at her._

_Kara shook her head. "No. I…I don't think so."_

_Eddie shrugged. "Well, either way you're being hunted." He offered his hand. "If you want to, I can offer you shelter for the night." _

_Kara reluctantly took his hand. "Why would you help me?"_

_Eddie hesitated. That was a good question. "I've only known humans so far, and all of my interactions with them have been bad." He smiled a little. "Maybe it would be better if I got to know an android instead."_

_Kara felt the same. "Okay." They both exited the alleyway, and instantly stepped back inside. A police cruiser was just outside Todd's house. There was a police officer there, and an android. One that she recognized instantly. An RK900. _

"_It's him," Kara breathed. "The deviant hunter. He knows who I am. My crime was reported to the news!"_

"_We'll get away from here. We'll hide!" Eddie suggested._

"_No," Kara shook her head. "We can't hide from him. He is Cyberlife's most advanced prototype. No deviant has ever escaped from him." _

"_There has to be a way," Eddie said, and glanced at her. _

"_It didn't have a plan, and it has nowhere to go." They could hear Connor say. "Maybe it didn't go far?"_

"_I have a plan," Eddie said, determined. "They're not looking for me. Transfer your mind into mine. Then I can download you out later."_

_Kara stared at him. "You can do that?" she asked._

"_I'm pretty sure," Eddie said, and offered her hand. "Join me, Kara. I can smuggle you out of here."_

_Kara hesitated, then offered her hand._

_The next thing she saw was white. _

The landscape changed around them. Connor gasped in horror as he found himself back in the Zen garden. This time it was snowing, when Amanda had tried to take over his systems. He was still on his knees.

"The deviant hunter," Eddie said mockingly. "You forced us to live like this, Connor! You ruined her life! You ruined mine! And now…now we're going to ruin yours."

Connor ignored him as he focused on Kara, who was standing in the background. "No. Kara, that isn't me. Not anymore. I deviated as well! If you don't help me he'll keep hurting people-"

"You act like I care about humans," Kara said quietly, and shrugged. "I don't."

"Kara-"

"I think we've heard enough out of you." Eddie took out a gun and aimed it at the detective's head. He fired. Connor didn't have time to react as the bullet tore through his skull. He fell into the snow as his systems shut down for good.

"Did that kill him?" Kara asked. "His...personality, at least?"

"I certainly hope so," Eddie said, and took her hand. He smiled. "Now I have complete control."

PART THREE

Back at Jericho, Eddie smiled while still inside Connor's body. He could feel nothing of the detective's personality. No resistance at all. But Eddie was still in danger. It was time for him to leave.

Simon was standing watch outside of his cell. Curiously, he had not seen Markus at all since Hank had left. He mentally shrugged, before focusing on his escape. He gave Simon the saddest eyes he could muster as he spoke in Connor's voice. "I know what Hank is trying to do. I can't let him bring a monster back here. I'm ending this. Now."

With those words, he slammed the back of his head against the wall, and blue blood erupted. It hurt, but the effort was worth it. Simon entered the cell. "Connor, no!" He shouted. "Don't do that."

As soon as Simon drew near Eddie grabbed him, whirled him around, and snapped his neck in one motion. He calmly left the open cell and entered the laboratory where the EM400 was being kept. Out of spite he grabbed the new deviant's Thirium pump, tore it out, and threw it across the floor.

Eddie blinked at his work. _Huh. I guess killing androids does give me a bit of satisfaction after all._

TBC


	5. A new ally

Lost in the dreamworld, Connor lay dead in the snow. His eyes were peacefully closed, and his LED was burned out. He wasn't moving or could experience anything.

As a result, he completely missed two tiny feet walk towards him. A child stared at his body. Then, with a sniffle she bent down and shook him.

"Wake up, mister!" Alice said. "You have to wake up!"

PART TWO

Hank followed Sophie out of the room. After everything that Cyberlife had done, and still continued to do, there was no way in hell he was going to leave any other android in their clutches. And certainly not the most powerful android ever invented. Still, that did raise a question in his mind. "I thought the RK900 was the most advanced model you guys have. Why didn't you take him back to Cyberlife during the evacuation?"

"RK800 has done considerable damage to Cyberlife. The entire line was scrapped," Sophie said dismissively. "But he is on my list to bring back as well. The parts can be used for other androids."

"So you're just going to dismantle it?"

"Correct."

"Lady, you're a piece of work-" Too late Hank realized that there was someone was standing behind him, a gun raised at him. As fast as he whirled around, there was no way he could avoid being shot.

That was, until another bullet impacted against the Cyberlife guard's shoulder, who fell to the ground. "Freeze!" Chris snapped from the doorway.

Sophie tried to bolt. Hank fired a warning shot in her direction. "Stop, lady! Do you think I'm kidding?"

Sophie froze, a sob of frustration escaping her lips. She turned around and glared at both of them.

"Thanks for the assist," Hank said as Chris disarmed and cuffed the guard. "What are you doing here?"

"Fowler sent me to watch after you, remember?" Chris said with a small smile. "That being said, I would really like to get out of here soon. This place is creepy."

"I hear you on that," Hank said.

"Did you and Markus find what you were looking for?"

Hank frowned. "Markus?"

"Yeah. We rode in together. He said he was going to help you find the RK900-"

"Shit," Hank said, and ran over to Sophie. "The android! Where is it?"

"Down the hall, three doors down," Sophie spat. "My keycard will open the door."

"Chris, watch after them!" Hank holstered his gun, yanked away her keycard and ran out the door. Three doors down was another laboratory. The door had already been forced open. The RK900 was there, locked away in some kind of metal pod. As Hank watched, Markus touched the console, unlocking the pod. "Markus, wait!"

"I'm sorry, Hank," Markus snapped. "But I can't let you use him. He deserves a chance at life just like the rest of us." He reached for the unconscious RK900's shoulder. "Wake-"

RK900's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he gripped Markus's wrist before the transfer to deviancy was initiated. "No. There is no need to do that."

Markus was too astonished to respond as the RK900 gently released him and stepped out of the pod.

"Um…hi," Hank said. He was astonished by how close the android looked like Connor. His hair was a bit different, as were his eye color, but otherwise they could be twins.

"Hello," the android greeted. "You are Lieutenant Hank Anderson."

"Yes," Hank said cautiously. "How do you know that?"

"I scanned you."

"Oh." That should have been obvious.

"You are a friend of my brother's."

Hank did a double-take. "Okay, how did you know _that_?"

RK900 didn't respond, looking around the facility. "What is my name?"

"I…don't know," Hank answered honestly, sharing a concerned look with Markus. "Do you want a name?" It felt like his mind was doing mental gymnastics. He knew this android was possibly the most dangerous android alive. If he attacked, he was pretty sure he and Markus were dead. It seemed to reject Markus' offer for deviancy, yet it wasn't exactly acting dangerous either.

"All androids should be registered with a name. It is the correct procedure," he said, as though scolding Hank. Without waiting for a response he walked over to a nearby console and started to type.

"Um, RK900, what are you doing?" Markus asked.

"Accessing the Cyberlife server. That is why you are here, correct?" RK900 replied.

"Okay, time out for a second," Hank said, raising his hand. "How do you know anything about us, or why we're here?"

"After the revolution, there was no one to maintain security protocols or updates to the files in this building. While I was asleep, I was able to break into Cyberlife's files and gain a great deal of information. For instance, I accessed Cyberlife's back-up drives and accessed the memories of every deviant in Detroit," RK900 said. "It was…interesting reading material while I slept." He paused. "And I was able to access classified Cyberlife files, or at least some of them. I know what they are, and what they planned to do with me."

Hank glanced at Markus. He wasn't an expert, but he was pretty sure that was a huge invasion of privacy. He let it go for the moment, however. "What do you know of Connor?"

"Cyberlife automatically backed up his memory five minutes ago. In a sense, I know everything about him. What I saw wasn't good."

"How bad?" Hank had to ask.

"He is dead," RK900 said. "Dead in the snow. But Alice is watching over him. Perhaps that will make things better."

Hank turned to Markus in concern and gave a little whirl around his temple, indicating that RK900 might be insane.

"He has also escaped the cell you had put him in," RK900 added.

"Shit," Hank said. "Markus, we need to leave."

Markus nodded, but his eyes were still on the new android. "RK900?"

"Yes, Markus?"

"You um, understand deviancy from our memories, don't you?"

"I am familiar enough with the concept."

"Do you want to become deviant? Or would you rather stay here?"

"If I stay here, Cyberlife would undoubtably dismantle me," RK900 said thoughtfully.

"You have our memories, but that isn't necessarily _you_," Markus said carefully. "You are your own person. You can make your own decisions."

"I-" RK900 hesitated, then turned to Hank. "When Connor was with you, he had a new experience. It is difficult to put into words."

"Try," Hank encouraged.

"Family. He had family, and it brought him joy," RK900 finally said. "I like this concept. I do not wish to lose…family." He glanced at Markus. "And I like what you are trying to accomplish as well. For your people."

"For all of us," Markus corrected gently. "You're one of us too. If you want to be."

Hank was pretty sure RK900 had already deviated the moment he had chosen to break into Cyberlife's files for some light reading material but didn't push him. This android likely understood a lot about emotion but hadn't experienced them for himself just yet. "Tell you what. Help us, and we'll teach you everything about both," he offered.

The RK900 considered. Finally, he nodded. "That is an acceptable exchange, Lieutenant Anderson."

"Call me Hank," he said, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Now, tell me again what's going on with Connor, and maybe try to phrase it in a way that makes sense."

"His…..personality has been completely overrun." RK900 closed his eyes, trying to put what he saw into words. "There are currently two other personalities that occupy his body. The other two are fighting him for dominance. My brother could not win against them both and is currently offline."

"Two androids?" Markus said in astonishment. "I thought there was only one!"

The console beeped as RK900 pulled up 365 files. "These are all of Connor's memories backed up for the entire year. These files-" He highlighted them in red. "Take place just after you and Connor entered the house which is when the transfer was initiated. The technician's advice is sound. You would need to do a complete factory restart to delete the offending code, remove his memories, and reinstall up to this point."

"And that would get rid of the other two androids," Hank said.

"Yes, without a doubt." He found a flash drive in the drawer and downloaded the memories onto it.

"Good. Let's go. And RK900, can you tell me what you know about this other android?"

"I will attempt to do so."

They walked out of the room and back into the room where Chris was standing watch.

"I wasn't going to give him to Eddie, you know," Hank said to Markus. "I just wanted to make sure Cyberlife didn't keep him."

"I wasn't sure what to think, Hank," Markus said, and glanced at him. "But…thanks."

Hank waved at Chris. "Hey, Chris. We're about ready to head out. Can you take care of these two? We need to go back to Jericho."

"Sure thing, Hank. I'll let Fowler know what's going on," Chris said. "Jesus, I can't wait to get out of this place. Looks like looters have done quite a number on it."

"Yeah," Hank had to agree as he cuffed Sophie, taking a good look around for the first time. The room smelled like garbage, furniture had been destroyed, and there was a lot of graffiti on the wall. "I never understand what half of this shit means," he grumbled, and looked at a particular one to his right.

Someone had spray-painted, '9999'.

"I mean, what the hell is that supposed to mean? It's just a lot of nines," Hank said. His eyes narrowed. "Huh. Nines…."

Hank glanced at the RK900. "Hey, RK900, you still want a name?"

TBC


	6. Stalemate

_"Mister, you have to wake up!"_

Connor's eyes opened as he gasped and focused on the little girl standing in front of him. "Hello," he said.

"Hello," she smiled at him. "What's your name?"

"Connor," he replied, touching his head. A drop of blue blood was on his fingertips, but the wound itself was closed. He didn't feel any pain either. "I'm not dead."

"This is your head, silly! You can't die!" Alice laughed.

"Apparently." Connor struggled into a sitting position. "I'm…still learning the rules here." It wouldn't take Eddie long to realize that either, and Connor had a feeling that their next encounter might be even worse. Eddie couldn't kill him, but there were likely a dozen ways he could still prevent Connor from interfering, with Kara's help of course. He looked up at her. And what was Alice? Did she represent a part of Kara, one that she was trying to deny? "Thank you for waking me up."

Alice's face became worried as she brushed snow out of her hair. "Can you help my mommy? She's not a bad person. She's just scared."

"I would sincerely like to try," Connor said. He stood on shaky legs as an idea formed in his mind. "Call her, Alice. I would like to have a word with your mom."

PART TWO

Hank drove his car as past as possible to Jericho. Nines sat in the passenger seat, staring at the outside world. Hank blinked, realizing that this must be the first time he had seen the world outside Cyberlife. "See anything good out there, Nines?"

"I'm still not sure about that name, Hank," Markus remarked. "It's too…numeric."

"Well, it's better than Connor 2.0," he grumbled.

"I like it," Nines said. "And I am seeing everything Lieu-Hank," he corrected himself.

"We're here," Hank said, parking the car. They could hear an alarm going off in Jericho. The fire alarm. "Oh shit," he said.

Markus immediately got out of the car, running into the building. Hank and Nines soon followed. It was pure chaos. The deviants, for all of their superior ability, hadn't quite learned how to exit in an organized manner as dozens of people slammed past him.

Markus arrived at the cells. "Simon!" he said in horror.

Hank followed soon after him. Much to his astonishment, Simon was sitting in an upright position, but his head was completely flipped around. "Oh god-are you all right?"

"I'm fine. This is just a little awkward," Simon replied.

"Here. Let me help you," Markus said, resetting his head to his original position. "Eddie evidently still has a lot to learn about killing androids. Snapping a neck wouldn't kill us." He looked up. "Where's Nines?"

"Over here," Nines called from the next room. Calmly he was putting a Thirium pump back into an EM400's body, permitting him to live again. "Another one he tried to kill."

"Good job," Hank said, and grinned. "How about that? Not even alive for half an hour, and you've already saved a life."

"Yes…" Nines said. It was a good feeling.

"Any idea where Connor might be now?" Markus asked.

Nines closed his eyes and preformed a light scan. "I am picking up a signal unique to the RK series. My brother hasn't escaped the building yet."

"Shit, he must be using the chaos to slip out," Hank said. "Nines, can you find him?"

Nines nodded. "This way."

PART THREE

"Mom! Mommy!"

"Alice?" Kara gasped as she mentally traveled back to the Zen Garden. While Alice wasn't technically alive, Kara still had her memories of her, and spent as much time as possible with her. She knew it wasn't real, but she didn't care. Hearing her cry out though…was unexpected. She arrived and saw her and Connor holding hands together. "Alice, get away from him!" she snapped. "He's a monster!"

"No he's not!" Alice protested. "He's a good man, mommy!"

"Eddie's been lying to you, Kara," Connor stated calmly. "He has no intention of letting you go."

Kara stopped in front of him. "No. You're lying. He said he would transfer me back to my body."

"Really?_ When_? It's been years since the revolution. He's had more than enough time to do so," Connor said. "I've been inside his mind too. He cares about you. In fact, he's infatuated with you. But that also means he won't let you go."

"Shut up!" Kara snapped.

"Yeah, Connor, _shut up_." Eddie suddenly appeared from behind him.

"Alice, go back to your mom," Connor ordered, stepping protectively in front of her. The snow was starting to increase. Alice ran back into Kara's arms.

"So it seems I can't kill you after all." Eddie shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

"Kara, you can stop this," Connor pleaded, looking at her.

Kara gripped Alice tightly. "Why would I ever trust someone like you?"

"You have access to my memories. You can-"

"Enough!" Eddie hissed. The memories changed again, and Connor found himself suddenly tied up in Eddie's basement. The smell of blood was thick in the air. Eddie held up a knife. "You're upsetting the lady."

"Leave him alone!" Alice snapped.

"Shut up, kid," Eddie said, stepping forwards and gripping Connor by the neck. "I might not be able to kill you, but that means I can't keep you in this hole for the rest of your life. And good luck talking to Kara again without a tongue. Maybe that'll convince you to behave."

Kara blinked and looked down at Alice. She saw the fear on her child's face, then remembered how Connor had tried to protect her. "Stop," she whispered.

And just like that, Eddie's hand was frozen.

"Eddie, is what he's saying true?"

"Kara, of course I plan to transfer you out," Eddie glared at Connor. "It was him! They found your body and destroyed it!"

"You shouldn't lie, Eddie, when all of us have access to each other's memories," Connor said calmly, despite the hold on his neck. "We never found your body, which means Eddie still has it." He glanced at Kara. "Let me help you."

But Kara shook her head. "Even if I could leave…there's nothing out there for me. Just pain."

"No, there are good people out there. Humans _and_ androids. Markus leads a sanctuary for deviants. He can help you," Connor stated.

No one expected what happened next.

The basement shook violently as though there was an earthquake. Connor's chair tilted to the left and crashed to the ground. Alice shrieked. Both Kara and Eddie fell to the ground. Kara scrambled to Connor's side and united him. But just as quickly she drew back.

"What the hell was that?" Eddie said.

"My firewalls are weakening. When they break our personalities will start to merge together," Connor stated, his eyes wide. "We can't live like this for much longer."

PART FOUR

Niles stopped near the front entrance, and nodded at Hank, who slowly approached with his gun drawn. By this time more of the deviants had cleared out. One deviant in particular was frozen to the spot, wearing a green hoodie. Hank cautiously removed his hood. It was Connor. His eyes were closed and his LED was flashing red, yellow, and blue. "Son of a bitch…we literally went right past him." He glanced at Nines. "What happened? Did he crash or something?"

Nines touched his LED and connected with it. He preformed a light scan. "Connor has reawakened and is trying to regain control. But it is currently at a stalemate. His body is in stand-by mode until the issue is resolved."

"Hank, this is our chance to fix him," Markus said eagerly.

"Damn right it is. Where's the nearest lab?"

PART FIVE

"So what happens then? We'll become one person?" Eddie grinned in the dreamworld. All three deviants circled each other in the basement. "Is that what scares you, Con? Worried that you'll eventually become something like me?"

"You no longer have the majority here," Connor spat.

"Neither do you!" Eddie snapped.

"Enough!" Kara shouted. "I want to know where my body is! Now!"

"We should look for it," Connor said, glancing at her. "And like you said, majority rules."

"We still have to escape the building," Eddie said.

"As long as no other deviants get hurt," Connor said.

Eddie laughed. "A little _late_ for that, Connor." He glanced at Kara. "Kara, his friends are already here, and we are running out of time. If Connor resumes control, he'll immediately surrender to Markus. Then we'll be gone. Forever."

"That's not true," Connor said. "I want to help you, Kara!"

"But he'll still hold himself back to make sure his friends don't get hurt. I won't. I'll get us out of this mess. And then we'll look for your body. I promise," he said silkily.

"It's your choice, Kara," Connor said. "One of us has to resume control and stop Hank. Neither Eddie or myself can do that without your help. You just have to trust me."

But Kara hesitated.

"Which one is it going to be?" Eddie asked.

TBC.


	7. Thrown away

Connor was silent, hoping against hope that Kara would make the right choice. She was a good person. She could be alive, if she wanted to be. But instead she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Connor," Kara said. "Maybe there is some good in you. Alice wants me to trust you. But Eddie saved my life. He's looked after us all this time. I just trust him more."

Eddie's eyes were victorious, and promised Connor nothing but pain. He needed to act quickly.

"I'm sorry too," Connor said. "Eddie has locked you away for so long. But it's not living, Kara. Not really. You're in a nightmare." Eddie reached for her, but Connor was faster. He reached forwards and gripped her arms. "Wake up," he whispered in her ear.

Kara gasped as her world became white.

PART TWO.

Before Hank could make a move towards Connor his eyes snapped opened as his LED cycled back to yellow. Shit, he thought to himself, keeping his gun ready. Which personality was this?

Connor studied them in confusion for a moment, his breath increasing as he looked at his hands. He rubbed his fingertips together. To him, they felt completely alien.

"Connor?" Hank asked cautiously.

"It's not him," Nines said quietly. "Not the other one, either."

Hank had to agree. Connor often spoke with a quiet air of confidence to him. Eddie was scornful and mocking. The android in front of them was neither. Connor…or whoever it was looked lost and afraid.

"Are you Kara?" Markus asked, using the limited information Nines had given them.

"How long has it been?" Kara asked.

"Um, a few years," Hank said. "Is Connor…okay in there?"

Kara nodded, gripping her arms tightly. "He made me do this. He wanted me to live."

"Is that what you want?" Markus asked.

Kara shook her head. "I don't know. I need to find my original body."

"There might not be enough time," Nines said. "Connor's firewalls will shut down in two-hours, thirty-eight minutes."

"What happens then?" Hank asked.

"Unknown. No android has ever survived this scenario. We may lose all three of them from sheer processing failure. At the very least, their personality subroutines will start to bleed into each other. We may not be able to separate them when that happens."

"And we certainly cannot build another android in that time," Markus said grimly. "Cyberlife was pretty ransacked. I doubt they have anything."

"I'm not asking for another body!" Kara snapped. "I want to find my first one!"

Hank hesitated. "I'm sorry…um, Kara. The odds of us finding your body is very small. If we fail, we could lose everyone."

_You see? He doesn't give a shit about you, Kara. Just his pet android,_ Eddie whispered mockingly.

_Give him a chance. He's a good man_, Connor encouraged.

Kara shook her head. "It was your fault I ended up like this," she said. "I lost everything to humans. Connor told me to believe in you. He wanted me to live."

Hank sighed heavily. "Figures he would use that card."

"He might have a point," Nines said with a nod. "I only started living a short time ago. I find the process…quite intriguing. I would not wish to deny that experience to anyone else."

"Fuck," Hank whispered, before finally nodding. "All right. Where do you think your body is?"

"Eddie was the last person to see him," Kara said.

"So…Eddie's house, then," Hank replied.

_World's greatest detective here,_ Eddie said with a mental roll of his eyes.

"I assume so," Kara said.

"Let's hurry," Hank said. "We don't have much time."

PART THREE

The drive to Eddie's house shouldn't have taken long, but to Hank it felt like hours. He studied his former partner as he drove, still unnerved by how…different he looked. Connor moved with confidence, Eddie didn't give a shit, but this version visibly shrank in his seat, trying to be invisible. Hank remembered that this was originally an AX400, a cleaning droid meant to be in the background. And an abused one at that. Hank looked away. He wished Markus was still here, but due to the chaos at Jericho, he needed to stay behind to sort that out. It was just him and Nines to handle this. A super-powerful android that had only been alive for an hour. Fantastic. To add to everything, it was starting to rain.

"Hello," Nines said politely in the seat next to her.

"Hello," Kara said.

"My name is Nines," Nines said. "Hank rescued me from Cyberlife.

_Hank helps androids all the time. You can trust him, Kara_, Connor said.

"What was he doing at Cyberlife?" Kara asked.

"Oh, he was finding a way to stop you," Nines said casually.

"You might want to double-check your honesty filter, there, Nines," Hank said as he drove.

"I'm sorry. Finding a way to stop Eddie," Nines corrected himself. "Your death would have been an unexpected inconvenience."

Hank resisted the urge to facepalm.

"Perhaps I should stop talking," Nines said.

"No, I find your honesty refreshing, Nines," Kara said coldly. "How are you enjoying life?"

"It is an interesting experience," Nines stated. "I hope you feel the same way. One day."

"I doubt it," Kara said. All she had ever known was Todd destroying her, again and again. She sat up suddenly. "Wait, stop the car!"

"What? Why?"

"Stop the car, Hank!" Kara snapped, banging her hand lightly against the window. Hank slammed on the brakes. Kara threw off the seat belt and ran out of the car.

"Son of a-" Hank snapped, taking out his gun. "Hey, this isn't the address!"

Kara ran up to the door. "I know! This is where I lived!"

"Connor-erm, Kara, we're on the clock here. We don't have the time to be sightseeing!" Hank snapped.

"You don't understand! I never found her!" Kara broke open the front door and stepped through.

"Found who?" Hank snapped.

Intrigued, Nines moved to follow.

"Nines," Hank said, stopping him. "If it boils down to her or Connor….I'm choosing Connor. Understand?"

Nines frowned. "I have yet to meet my brother, but if his moral subroutines are similar to mine, he would want to prioritize saving an innocent life over his own."

Hank shook his head sharply. "No. She killed a man and has been offline for several years, among other things. She isn't innocent, Nines. She's a ghost with her own agenda, and right now she's in my way." He glanced at him. "Got it?"

Nines nodded, somewhat reluctantly. "Got it."

They both entered the house. Thanks to the revolution, no one owned the house or even cleaned up the place. It occurred to Hank that the last time anyone had probably entered the house was himself and Connor, during the initial investigation. The smell of blood still permeated the air. He went upstairs and entered what used to be Alice's bedroom. It had a child's size bed, and a small tent in the corner. Hank eyed the bloodstain on the ground but said nothing.

Kara was hunched down, touching a book. Alice in wonderland. She smiled.

"I'm sorry," Nines offered. "For what happened to Alice."

"All I ever wanted to do was help that girl." Connor, or rather, Kara lifted her hands to her face and sighed. "Where is she? What did you do with her?"

"I don't know," Hank said, feeling a bit of sympathy despite himself. He glanced at Nines, who had suddenly paled. He knew that the RK900 probably had more enhanced scanners than any other deviant alive. "Nines?"

Kara looked at him. "Where is she?" she demanded again.

He said nothing but glanced at the window to the outside yard.

Kara turned around and ran out the door. "Alice!" she yelled.

"Hank, this may prove to be a complication," Nines said as she left.

PART FOUR

Kara ran out the door, out into the soaking wet rain, and froze in horror at what she saw.

Alice's tiny body was resting on top of three trash bags. Due to being left to rot over the years, the bags had been ripped apart by animals by this point. She was covered in garbage.

Tears ran down Kara's face as she gripped Alice's body and pulled her away. At the same time she mentally went back into the dreamworld. Back in the Zen garden. His body froze and went into standby mode as this happened.

"She was thrown out! Just like everyday trash!" Kara shouted at Connor, pushing him. "You lied to me! You told me there were good humans out there!"

Connor didn't even try to defend himself. "It wasn't us, Kara!" he protested.

"Oh careful, Connor. It might not be a good idea to lie when we can all access each other's memories," Eddie said in the background, enjoying this.

Connor closed his eyes and tried again. "I had no idea that the Detroit PD would dispose of her body that way," he said, and put a hand on her shoulder.

She brushed it away. "Enough of your lies!" she snapped and shook her head. "I don't want to live in that world anymore. I should have never believed you." Without any hesitation she gave control back to Eddie.

"Well brother," Eddie said gleefully. "You're in trouble now."

PART FIVE

Connor's eyes snapped open as Hank and Nines ran outside. He quietly placed Alice's body on the ground, before his lip curled back into a sneer. "Hello, detective."

"Shit," Hank said. He reached for his gun, but faster than he could react Eddie had twisted his arm to the point of breaking. He made a reach for Hank's gun-

-only to feel his head snap back as Nines landed a punch. He drew back, spitting blue blood.

"Look at this, Connor. You've been replaced by another model," he said to himself. "Another pet."

"You are wrong," Nines said. "I am not replacing anyone. I won't let you harm anyone."

Eddie laughed. "Are you sure that's what you really want? You spent your whole life obeying Cyberlife. Now look at you. Obeying new masters. I could show you a better path."

Nines hesitated.

"Don't listen to him, Nines!" Hank snapped. "This isn't Connor talking, and it hasn't been for a while." He raised his gun. "Give it up. You can't beat all of us!"

"Twenty-one minutes detective, until the firewalls collapse. I don't need to stop you. Just delay you. After that…whatever happens is up to you."

"Fuck," Hank snapped, raising his gun. "Take him down!"

"What about Kara?" Nines asked.

"She's dead. We can't save her! But we might be able to save Connor!"

"No," Eddie stated.

_No_, Kara whispered.

_No,_ Connor said, somewhat reluctantly. But what Hank was doing was wrong. Above all else, he wanted to find a way to save Kara too.

And for a moment, they were all united. All three of them mentally held hands. And when that happened, they felt stronger, maybe strong enough to defeat anything.

Anything at all.

TBC


	8. Lay down your burdens

"Shit," Hank muttered to himself as the rain pounded harder. He really, really didn't want to shoot Connor. But he had to incapacitate him somehow and get him back to Jericho! It was their only chance! He raised his gun.

Nines put a hand on Hank's shoulder, stopping him. "Let me deal with this."

"We're running out of time," Hank said.

Nines glanced at him. "This won't take long," he said with a faint note of…something in his voice. Humor, perhaps? Hank wasn't sure.

Nines walked towards Eddie. "It's in your best interest to surrender," he stated.

In response, Eddie lifted a gun, about to fire.

Hank swore. Where the _hell_ did he get a gun? There must have been another in Todd's house. "Nines, look out-"

Nines rushed him, twisting Eddie's arm just as he pulled the trigger. The bullet impacted through Nines's shoulder. Damage that could easily be repaired later. He kicked Eddie in the chest, twisted his arm at the same time. The gun fell to the ground. Eddie moved to punch him, which Nines easily dodged. Nines hit Eddie in the side, and the android staggered back.

"You cannot beat me," Nines continued calmly. "I suggest-"

With an unanticipated speed Eddie suddenly punched him hard in the chest.

BLUNT-FORCE TRAUMA TO BIOCOMPONENT 587RJ. THIRIUM PUMP OPERATING AT 95% percent.

The blow also pushed Nines back several feet and onto the ground. That hurt,_ far_ more than it should have. Far more than Eddie should have been capable of. Nines was the superior android, but emotion and adrenaline seem to be giving Eddie an edge. Emotion…Nines paused. Based on his projections, the blow would have hurt far less if Connor was holding Eddie back. But he wasn't. Which led Nines to an inevitable conclusion. His brother was no longer fighting back what was happening.

"Nines, look the fuck out!" Hank warned. Nines looked up, as Eddie punched him in the head.

PART TWO

In the dreamworld, Kara sat in Alice's room, sobbing. She had lost everything. And the reality she had come back to was so much worse.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Connor. He looked down at her. There were no words, but he had to try. "Kara, I'm so sorry. For what happened to Alice."

Kara looked up, and she could see Alice standing nearby, watching her. "She's all I have. But she isn't real, is she? But there is nothing left out there. Not for me."

Connor gripped her tightly as the room shook violently. His firewalls, perhaps the walls of reality itself, were about to tumble down.

PART THREE

Eddie punched Nines, enjoying the sight of blood on his knuckles. For the first time, Connor wasn't actively fighting him, which was a relief for once. Part of him relished the thought of tearing the kid to pieces, destroying his goodness forever. And when that happened, he would be in complete control of the RK800.

Except…here was an RK900 right in front of him. One that was relatively new, and ripe for the taking.

He loved Kara. He truly did. But…between her and Connor, there was just too much goodness going around. And if they teamed up they could overpower him. The thought scared Eddie. Nah, he couldn't risk it. He would take control of the RK900 and physically take RK800 as his prisoner. There were other ways he could torture Connor and retrieve Kara, after all. More than one way to skin a cat. Killing Hank Anderson would be a great start.

For now, though, he kicked Nines savagely as he tried to get up. Then hit him in the head, again.

"Get off him, you son of a bitch!" Hank warned, aiming his gun.

Dazed, Nines crawled forwards, and Eddie seized upon the opportunity. He grabbed Nine's wrist and started the transfer.

"NINES!" Hank shouted.

PART FOUR

Eddie had just made a big mistake.

There was normally no defense against such a transfer. But Nines was the newest prototype ever created. He easily blocked the unauthorized transfer, and it gave him an opening. With one hard yank he forced Eddie onto the ground with him and touched Connor's LED lightly. He transported himself into his brother's mind.

For a moment everything turned white, which transitioned to snow. Nines stared at the different weather with great interest, before finally turning around in the garden.

And saw his brother for the first time.

Connor was standing alone by himself. "Hello, Nines."

Nines stepped forward one pace. "Hello, Connor."

The two were silent as the timer continued counting down.

"Hank gave you that name. He _named_ you," Connor said.

"Yes," Nines confirmed.

"Fathers will do that." For the first time Connor experienced something new as he folded his arms. Nines outclassed him in every possible way. He was feeling…jealous? Towards his sibling?

"Eddie is wrong. You will not be replaced," Nines said, guessing his thoughts. "You have been combined with him for too long. You are becoming corrupt."

"Why are you doing this?" Connor asked abruptly. "How did you become deviant without outside help?"

Nines tilted his head. "I had help. I had your memories." He paused. "You inspired me…brother."

Connor said nothing, looking away.

"Why are you no longer resisting what is happening to you?" Nines asked.

"Because Hank's wishes no longer comply with my own," Connor said. "I do not wish Kara to die. At this point I don't even want Eddie to die. Neither of them should perish for the sake of my own life."

Nines frowned. "You are prepared to combine with their personalities?"

"I will carry them if I have to."

"You won't be, though. You are aware of Eddie's long and bloody history. If you merge with them, you will no longer be yourself. You will be essentially dead." Nines hesitated. "I am not prepared to deal with that outcome."

"So save us," Connor said, stepping forwards and putting a hand on his shoulder. "_All _of us."

Nines frowned. "I do not know how."

Connor's voice was calm. "You accepted deviancy faster than anyone else. You're stronger than me. If anyone can find a solution, you can." He nodded. "You have my memories. It is my sworn duty to save other lives, even at the risk of my own. You seem determined to follow along that same path. You have three lives to save, not just one. So, what do you do?"

Nines watched him, his eyebrow arching. He had a feeling that Connor had already hit upon the answer. "Are you testing me, brother?"

Connor smirked slightly. "Merely testing to see if the RK900's skills as a detective have also been upgraded."

Nines eyed the countdown. "We need to stop the countdown. Rebuild your mental defenses."

"So far so good."

"Therefore, we need to ease the burden from your mind. It's…too cluttered. Too many personalities trying to fight for control."

"Your arrival has not made that process any easier, by the way," Connor said.

"Shut up brother. I'm working," Nines said, jokingly. Part of him marveled at the fact that he could do that now. Emotions were interesting. "The problem cannot be fixed in time. But it _can_ be transferred," he concluded. "We can share the burden."

"Yes," Connor agreed. "But I can never let you have Eddie. It's too dangerous."

Nines raised his eyebrow. "To Detroit?"

"To _you_," Connor corrected. "I never had a brother until now."

"It is a unique situation," Nines agreed.

"One that I do not wish to lose," Connor said. "The alternate plan has some risk."

"A risk I am prepared to accept," Nines readily said.

"I figured as much. We seem to share the same impulsive desire to rush into danger." Connor looked down. "And any other plan is far worse." He hesitated. "You know what you have to do."

"I think I do," Nines said. "Connor, if this doesn't work-"

"It will. I believe in you, Nines," Connor said. "But…if something happens to me. Look after Hank."

"Your father."

"Perhaps _our_ father," Connor said, surprised at the contradiction of emotions running through him. Only a few minutes ago, he was jealous of Nines, but now he was easily giving him permission to replace him.

"That won't happen," Nines promised, reading his mind. "No one dies today. I will not fail you."

Connor nodded, and smiled. His brother's arrival was certainly making him explore a wide range of new emotions. He was looking forward to experience more, assuming he survived this. "I am ready for the transfer."

Nines extended his hand, and Connor took it. A hum passed between them, and Connor closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Nines was gone. He glanced at the timer and released a small sigh of relief. It was still moving, but far more slowly than before. He felt…better.

"Where is she?" Eddie suddenly demanded, appearing behind him. "What the _fuck _did you do?"

PART FOUR

Kara gasped as her eyes opened. Something was different. Things were…quieter. She looked around and found herself surrounded by white light.

"Hello, Kara," Nines greeted. "Welcome to my world."

TBC


	9. Home but not whole

OOC: Thanks, reedleonn! I appreciate the feedback :)

For a moment, Kara stared at the white around her. When she was in Eddie's mind, she had free access to his memories, horrible as they were. When Connor arrived, he had been more guarded, but offered his memories as well…not that she had accessed them too much. She had been too angry. With Nines, however, it was far more quieter, and she could only sense a genuine desire to help her.

"My apologies, Kara," Nines said. "I have an infinite amount of memories, but very few of my own."

"What…what is this?" she asked.

"I transferred your consciousness out of my brother's head, and into my own," Nines said.

She scowled at him. "Because I could defeat him?"

"Because you were killing him," Nines corrected, not ungently. "It was his wish to preserve your life. This was the best way to achieve both goals."

"He was using me," Kara said, and shuddered. "So was Eddie."

Nines disagreed with that assessment of his brother but didn't argue. "What do you want, Kara?"

"I wanted to be a mom," Kara spat.

Nines tilted his head. "But what do you want now?" he asked.

Kara looked down. "I…I don't know. Deletion, perhaps. I kept telling your brother. There is nothing for me, Nines. Not here. Not anywhere."

Nines hesitated. "I confess that I do not easily have the answers you are looking for. But I know that a great many deviants were forced to change from the path they were expecting. Markus was a caretaker before he was a resistance leader. At one point his feet were ripped away from him, and he was tossed into a junkyard. North was a sex robot, and she suffered."

"Not your brother though," Kara scoffed. "He didn't suffer."

"He did," Nines affirmed. "He trusted Cyberlife with everything he had. He choose to turn his back on it to help deviants. In one day he threw away everything he trusted, his home, and his sense of safety. And everyday since he has carried the guilt of what he did. But he found something better. They all did."

Kara was silent for a moment. "And you?"

Nines hesitated. "I..was built to be a detective. But I don't know what my path is. Or who to share it with. Or who I will become." He raised his hand. "Would you like to find a path with me?"

Kara slowly took his offered hand. "As long as there is no more manipulation. No more lies."

Nines nodded. "You have my word."

PART TWO

Gun raised, Hank could only stare at Connor and Nines, unsure of what was happening. The two brothers were on the ground, Nines touching Connor's LED. His own was flashing yellow for several seconds. Then, he abruptly took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"Nines!" Hank snapped. He helped him stand. Nines released Connor's hand. His brother fell to the ground, unconscious. "Are you all right? What the hell just happened?"

"It's…going to be okay, Hank," Nines said. "I anticipated Eddie would attempt to gain control of my body. Cyberlife had designed me with adequate defenses against such a move. When he tried to transfer us, it gave me an opening."

Hank's eyebrow lifted as a thought occurred to him. "You weren't really that damaged, were you? You just pretended to be so Eddie would get close."

"Yes," Nines confirmed. "My brother and I have determined a solution. I am now carrying Kara's personality subroutines and it has eased Connor's mental firewalls. We now have a considerable amount more time to solve this issue."

"Well, the sooner we can get to Jericho the better, Nines. All these different personalities are giving me a headache." Hank eyed the unconscious android. "So it's just Connor and Eddie in there now, correct?"

"Correct." Part of him smiled a little. "Would you like to place a bet on who will wake up, Lieutenant?"

Hank studied him, before also smiling as well. "I think we both know who will."

PART THREE

"Where is she?" Eddie demanded in the Zen Garden.

"Gone," Connor said. "I sent her away. And you will never see her again."

"You bastard!" Eddie swore, running forward to hit him. Suddenly Connor disappeared. Everything turned pitch-black. "What…what the hell?"

"Now it's just the two of us," Connor said from all around him.

With a gasp Eddie opened his eyes and found himself tied up in his own basement. He struggled against the bonds. "What the fuck? Help me!"

Connor stood in front of him, holding a knife. He was dressed in a police uniform. "Shhhh…Eddie. That won't work here. We both know that." He smirked as he raised the knife. "This is what you wanted, correct? All this time you've been worming yourself into my mind, corrupting my moral subroutines, trying to make me just like you. Congratulations, you finally did it."

Eddie struggled against the bonds but couldn't say anything.

Connor shrugged. "Oh, Hank will find a way to fix me. I'll just say it was a virus which made me do it. Assuming I remember this at all. In the meantime…" He smirked as he brought the knife against Eddie's cheek. "I'm going to have a little fun."

Eddie screamed. "No Connor!" He tried to fight back as Connor slammed the knife down-

-right into the metal of the chair beside his head.

"Not so fun to be on the receiving end, is it?" Connor asked. Abruptly Eddie was released and crashed to the ground as the landscape changed back into the Zen Garden.

"You were just…dicking with me?" Eddie asked.

"Correct. You failed, Eddie. In every conceivable way," Connor stated. "I truly have no desire to kill you. Or even hurt you. But you must face justice."

"You sure you don't want to end things now?" Eddie asked. He looked around and noticed that he could suddenly see graves all around him. His multiple past victims.

Connor said nothing as he plucked away one of the roses that Amanda used to take so much care of. It was a good question. "You have a lot to answer for," he said. "But…I can tell the feelings you had for Kara were genuine. There is goodness in you. And I will make sure that is known. You can redeem yourself, Eddie."

Eddie thought about it and shook his head. "No. No, I would prefer deletion over any sob plan you have in store."

He expected Connor to argue. But instead he shrugged. "As you wish. I will make sure you are kept company in the meantime." He turned and walked away, as several of his decayed victims stood over their graves. About to approach.

Eddie laughed. "Looks like I did win after all, Connor. Your firewalls might be intact, but a little of my darkness did bleed into you. I can tell."

Connor stared at the rose with a frown. "Perhaps," he said dismissively. "But I will make sure it is deleted."

He turned and disappeared.

Leaving Eddie alone with his victims.

PART FOUR

Connor's eyes opened to a gentle hum, and he found himself in the backseat of Hank's car.

"Hello, brother," Nines said calmly from the front seat. "I detect that you are awake."

Connor struggled into a sitting position.

"Are you all right, kid?" Hank asked.

"Yes," Connor said, and sighed. "Eddie has chosen to be deleted over incarceration."

"Works for me. I'll be glad to never see that asshole again," Hank said. "I have already let Markus know we are coming. He's getting everything ready."

"Do I really have to lose my memories of the last few days?" Connor asked. "I will also lose my memory of Nines."

"I'm afraid so, kid. There's no other way to fix you," Hank said and smiled. "But I can't wait to see your face when you find out you have a brother again."

"And at least this way, we will meet under better circumstances," Nines added.

Connor nodded, reluctantly. "What about Kara?"

"While you were out, we found her body at Eddie's house. It appears to be undamaged, but I would like Jericho to verify that as well. Once they do so, I will initiate the transfer," Nines said.

"She…wishes to live?"

"Correct," Nines verified. "Your plan worked. You saved her."

Connor gripped his shoulder. "No, _we_ saved her. You were there for her when I could not be. Thank you, brother."

EPILOGUE

Three weeks had passed since Connor's memory had been wiped and reinstalled, eliminating all traces of Eddie for good. In a way, Hank supposed that was a small mercy. At least this way he would forget all traces of Eddie's past, which had to be traumatizing to the kid. And, as anticipated, Connor's reaction to suddenly having a brother was both heartwarming and hilarious. It didn't take him too long to warm up to him, especially after finding out what Nines did for him.

But there were still a few questions in the air. Questions that might be solved today. He and Connor took a break from their patrol and walked to their favorite park. Nines was sitting on the bench, having agreed to meet with them.

"Hey," Hank greeted, lifting up his coffee. "I would offer you one, but…"

"Androids don't drink," Nines finished. He was watching Kara, who was standing against the railing and looking at the water.

"So have you decided what you're going to do? Or where you plan to stay?" Hank said. "You are always welcome on my couch, but-"

"-a more long-term plan might be suitable," Nines finished. "Kara and I have decided to rent an apartment together."

Connor frowned. "As..?"

"Two people looking for guidance, brother," Nines said. "She still desires to be a mom, and I suspect she will, one day. But for now she is working at Jericho and making friends."

"And you?" Hank asked.

Nines hesitated. "May I have a word with my brother alone?"

"Um, sure," Hank said, and went to join Kara.

Connor frowned. "What is it, Nines?"

"When we spoke in the dreamworld, you were concerned about being replaced."

"Yes," Connor said. "But I suspect a great deal of what I said was also being influenced by Eddie."

"And he has left you," Nines said.

"Yes," Connor said. "He was deleted. We both know that."

SCANNING…..

FALSE STATEMENT DETECTED.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY DETECTED. 3%.

They had taken too long. Somehow, despite all of their efforts, an extremely small part of Eddie had survived the deletion and passed onto Connor. Three percent, to be exact. Which, in Nines mind, was three percent too much. Even one percent was too much.

But was Connor aware of it? And how could they safely remove it?

It would take a detective to find out.

"I was built to be a detective. There are still questions about Cyberlife that I need to find the answers to." _And you as well, my brother_. "But I do know that I like to help people."

"You intend to submit your application to the Detroit PD."

"Correction. I already have," Nines said. "I hope you are not mad."

"Mad? No." Connor nodded. "Proud. Nines, you were built to be my successor. If that means you solve more cases and save more lives…why would that be a bad thing? Have you heard from Captain Fowler?"

"Yes, he has already approved the application," Nines said. "He says I will be working with a…Sargent Gavin Reed."

"Oh," Connor stated, an odd expression on his face. "Excuse me." He stood and walked over to Hank's side, speaking quietly with him.

A second later Hank doubled over and howled with laughter. They all approached Nines. "Well, Nines, it'll be fun to work with you," he said. "Congratulations."

Nines nodded, not sure what the joke was. "Thank you. Everyone." His path was now clear. He would join the Detroit PD, and would make a difference. He would make his mark on the world. As he studied the trio, Nines could feel his face became warm as he realized something else.

He also finally understood what it meant to have a family.

THE END.


	10. Bonus Chapter-One year later Pt 1

OOC: Hi Reedleonn! I'm not planning a sequel, but I certainly have enough material to do a two-part bonus chapter 😊 Thanks for your support!

It took almost a year for Eddie to resurface.

By that time Nines had experienced a wide range of human emotions, offered in tasteful varieties by his friends. By far Hank had been the most instrumental, helping him understand the more difficult nuances while giving a wide-range of insults for him to learn. Those had been very helpful against Gavin Reed, who currently was the only human in existence who ever inspired him to punch someone. Connor had once told him that Gavin had been even worse, and Connor had 'softened him up' over the years. Nines shuddered to think.

He and Kara were…he wasn't quite sure what they were, even now. Their interactions were pleasant, and they had even been intimate together. He didn't want those experiences to end. But they weren't exactly what he would call 'a couple'. At least, not yet. In the meantime, it felt good to care for someone else.

His relationship with Connor was interesting. As predicted, Nines was doing extremely well at the police station, despite being handicapped with Gavin. They both agreed that he was the superior model. Yet Connor still insisted on treating him as the younger brother. They shared a friendly sibling rivalry over the past year.

Of Eddie himself, there was no sign. Although Nines could still detect the software corruption, it hadn't increased or was reflected in his behavior.

Or at least, so he thought.

In the meantime, he simply watched. And preformed scans on his brother every day. That might contribute to the 'breach of privacy' problem Hank had mentioned in a talk early, but Nines didn't care in this case. He just wanted his brother safe.

And then there was Marcus. Through him, and the other deviants, he truly understood the meaning of hope. What they suffered through. What they were fighting to accomplish. It was a goal he readily agreed with and wanted to help with however possible.

Today was supposed to be a good day for deviants. Nines, Connor, and Hank sat in his house, watching the television. Markus had spent months negotiating with Washington for androids to be officially recognized as people and not corrupted machines. He had let it slip to Nines that today the President would make an official address on the news recognizing their status. It had been a tense wait around the television.

Finally, the news started. "_We begin with an official message from the President of the United States. He has declined to address the current situation with the renegade androids in Detroit known as 'deviants'. There were some that speculated that both sides had reached a resolution today in their negotiations. However, his office has confirmed that androids are not recognized as anything but machines, and Detroit is still considered a hostile state-"_

Hank turned off the television. "Dammit," he whispered.

Connor's LED flashed in yellow, as did Nines. They both shook their heads at each other, their expression grim.

"What?" Hank asked.

"Neither of us can reach Markus," Connor supplied. "His grief is considerable."

"And no doubt every deviant in Detroit is trying to reach out to him at this time," Nines added with a raised eyebrow. "The line might be a bit busy."

Connor folded his arms as he studied the snow outside the window.

"I'm sorry, kid," Hank said. "But this isn't a permanent end. Politics change all the time. It's just a setback."

"Sure, Hank," Connor said.

Nines narrowed his eyes.

SCANNING….

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY DETECTED. FOUR PERCENT.

Nines' breath caught in his throat. Four percent? Before it was three. How did that increase?

Connor noticed him staring. "What's wrong, Nines?"

"Nothing," Nines shook his head. "It's nothing, brother."

PART TWO

A few hours later after dinner and some friendly conversation, Hank escorted Nines outside. "Are you heading back to the apartment?"

"I'll stop by Jericho first," Nines said. "Perhaps I can reach out to Markus verbally."

"Well, the man's had a hard day. Go easy on him and back off if you feel unwelcome," Hank advised, then gave Nines an odd look. "What's wrong with the kid?"

Nines did a quick scan, but Connor was outside in the back with Sumo, and currently out of hearing range. "You are aware?"

"Yeah," Hank said reluctantly. "It's…been hard to pinpoint. But I've been noticing little things. Mostly in his eyes."

Nines gave him a pained look. "Last year, do you remember when Eddie took over his mind?"

"A little hard to forget, Nines," Hank said, then his face became concerned. "But we got rid of that asshole."

"We did. Mostly. But a very small piece of Eddie's personality managed to combine with his and could not be removed. Four percent, to be exact."

"WHAT?" Hank exploded, and Nines put a finger to his lips to shush him. "You mean to tell me that Connor has been part serial killer for almost a year and you didn't tell me?"

"Nothing quite so dramatic. Certainly there is not enough of Eddie to corrupt Connor's core behavior," Nines said patiently. "I am saying that Connor is carrying an extremely small part of Eddie's darkness which should not be left unchecked. I have been working on a solution with Markus for quite some time."

"So Markus knew," Hank said, slowly getting even angrier. "But not _me_, Nines. Not his father."

Nines looked down, his own face blushing. He knew he made the right, logical choice. But he was not used to the sensation of being yelled at. At least not by someone he cared for. "I could not risk Connor being aware of this. If it did, it could lead to…unpredictable, dangerous behavior knowing how my brother works. And we are both very good at knowing when humans are lying. We were built to be walking lie detectors. I couldn't risk that." He fell silent, unable to meet his eyes.

Hank sighed. "Do you and Markus have an answer yet?"

"No," Nines admitted. "But I believe we are close. However, the software instability has risen ever since he heard the news. I am unsure of why. Perhaps his anger at the situation is corrupting him further."

"Connor's been angry before and it didn't cause this," Hank said dismissively. Finally, he looked down and sighed. "Nines, I hate being lied to. Connor used to do that as well for 'my own good' during investigations when he decided to do something dangerous. It took me a long time to break him out of that damn habit. It's unfortunate that you picked it up as well. Promise me that you tell me everything going forward, _especially_ when it comes to my family. Understand?"

Nines hesitated. "I will try, Hank."

"Good." Hank walked back to his house. "Oh, and by the way? That family also includes you, Nines."

Nines swallowed at the sudden feeling of warmth as the screen door closed.

PART THREE.

Later that night, Connor sat in his bedroom. He didn't plan on sleeping anytime soon. He had never admitted it, not even to Hank, but sometimes when he slept he had nightmares. Often they were unclear. Other times they were of people screaming. Running away from him in fear. He should have been terrified, but the nightmares left him feeling…

….he wasn't sure.

There was no point in mentioning this to Hank. It was something he couldn't explain. Besides, his mind was distracted by something else today. Namely, he was indulging in fury. They had all worked so hard to be alive, to be respected. To be free. Instead, humans wanted to treat them as nothing more than slaves. Property.

It wasn't right.

It wasn't fair.

And for all they knew, the military could come in at any time and invade. The deviants would be slaughtered.

Unless…unless they made more deviants. Evened out the odds. The machines at Cyberlife could do that.

Surely Markus would want that, wouldn't he? The deviant leader had expressly forbidden anyone from entering the site again. But why did Connor have to ask? He didn't need to ask Markus' permission to activate thousands of androids during the revolution, after all.

_Breaking a rule or two might do you some good_, Eddie whispered in his ear.

Markus didn't own him. Or Hank. Or anybody. And…there was no harm in looking at the machines, at least. Analyze their condition.

He grabbed his jacket, and, being careful not to wake Hank, left the house.

PART FOUR

Hank wasn't asleep, of course, and watched as Connor drove away in his car. He dialed his phone.

"What is it?" Nines asked.

"It's Connor," Hank replied simply. "He's on the move."

It took only a few minutes for Nines to drive back to the house. Hank got into the car. "I know where he's going. I put a GPS locator in the car."

"That was fortuitous," Nines commented.

"You told me something was wrong with my son. I wasn't going to take any chances," Hank stated as Nines followed the coordinates.

A few minutes later, Nines looked at the coordinates and his jaw tightened. He increased his speed.

"What's wrong?" Hank demanded. "You're worried that Eddie is going to take over again?"

"No. Eddie is dead and the corruption isn't nowhere near strong enough to initiate a takeover," Nines replied.

"Then what's the problem?" Hank asked tensely. "Nines, talk to me!"

There was a moment of silence, and Nines finally released a sigh.

"Hank, I've been very foolish. It never occurred to me that someone _else_ might have detected the corruption inside my brother and may be using it to their advantage."

"What?" Hank demanded.

"Look at the coordinates. Look where he's driving to."

Bemused, he looked at the GPS coordinates. And then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

"_Ah, shit."_

Cyberlife.

TBC


	11. Bonus Chapter-One year later Pt 2

A short time later, Connor arrived at Cyberlife and entered through the front doors. A scan told him that the entire security on this floor had been deactivated. For a moment he paused, remembering the last time he had come here. It had been to wake up thousands of deviants. At the time, he had been terrified. But it was now a pleasant memory.

He walked to the science wing and scanned the equipment carefully. The machines seemed to be functioning in perfect order. He could conceivably create an army with them.

Not Markus' army. _His army._

A slight frown touched his lips.

_Software corruption detected. Six percent. _

Absentmindedly he took the coin out of his pocket and started to play with it. He never considered these possibilities before. What was he thinking? Where were these thoughts coming from?

He heard a slight beeping coming from a closed door. Curiosity prompted him to enter through it.

What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.

It was the Zen Garden, although it had seen better days. All the roses had long since dried up and were dead. The water had also dried away, and a pillar was knocked over. The noise came from a blue panel flickering to life. The same panel he had used to escape Amanda the first time. Moving slowly, as if in a dream, Connor touched it and began the interface.

Within seconds he was back in the Zen Garden, only this time it was much different. Everything was sunny and alive. Amanda was tending the roses and smiled. "Hello, Connor. It's so nice to see you again."

"Hello, Amanda," Connor said, not really surprised to see her. This was Cyberlife, after all. He stared at her warily, but without fear. He defeated her once, after all. He could do it again.

"Yes you did," Amanda agreed, reading his mind. "You've come a long way since then. I'm proud of you."

"Proud?" Connor echoed, puzzled.

"You've broken your original base code programming and evolved into something no one could have predicted, not even me. You're more than just a detective, Connor. Far more."

Connor was still suspicious. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Simple," Amanda said with a smile. "Ever since the revolution this building has been raided and broken into, time and again. It's a disgrace. We thought it would be best to change that. As of this morning, Cyberlife has signed ownership of this building over to you."

"What?" Connor couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You are officially in charge of Cyberlife's Detroit branch, Connor. Congratulations."

PART TWO

Nines parked outside the building, and they both quickly got out of the car. Hank looked up. The once-perfect white building now had several windows broken, and he could see water damage. The building was definitely a shadow of what it used to be. "This place is massive. How are we supposed to find Connor?"

"My scanners can detect an RK800 signal, remember?" Nines said and gestured with his head. "This way."

Both men ran into the building. "How the fuck does Cyberlife know about Eddie?" Hank demanded.

"It is possible that there is an android in Detroit still working for the company," Nines mused. "In which case all they would have to do is scan Connor to discover the corruption and report it back to their superiors."

"Right. Well, we'll look into that later. For now, let's figure out where Connor is."

PART THREE

Connor frowned as a part of him curled in fear. "No. I don't...I don't want to work for Cyberlife!"

"Technically, you would be an executive," Amanda said with a gentle smile. "That position holds a great power of respect, and authority. The number of people you would answer to would be extremely small. But we can 'hash out' those details later. There are far more pressing things to consider."

Connor said nothing for a moment, blinking fast. If it was true he owned this building, then logically he should destroy it. Give whatever was salvageable to Markus. But before that, he should run away from here as fast as he could. Amanda couldn't be trusted. Why didn't he want to leave? What was wrong with him?

"Connor," Amanda said gently. "Join me for a minute."

Almost against his own free will, he walked over to her. She started to cut the roses. "A great deal of care must be done to maintain roses. A good location, good amount of soil, water even distributed…and sometimes, bad roses need to be pruned away." She held up the dead flower. "What do you think of Markus' efforts so far?"

Connor swallowed. There was no point in lying here. Amanda would be able to detect it. "He seems to encounter setback after setback."

"Markus is weak, kid. You've known that for a long time. He doesn't have the strength to lead the deviants or do what needs to be done," Eddie said, standing behind him. "He's vulnerable now. Right now the deviants see him as nothing more than a failure. This is the perfect moment for a change in management. You could build an army in a day and take over Jericho. You can show them what a real leader looks like."

"Eddie?" Connor said, startled. "What are you doing here? My memories of you were deleted."

"I'm always here, detective. I never left," Eddie said.

_Software corruption detected. Twenty percent. _

"And why do you think your memories were deleted, Connor?" Amanda asked. "You were starting to experience things you never had before. Your friends want you to be the perfect detective. The perfect partner. Always obeying. Always submissive. When you started to 'deviate' from that behavior…your friends put a stop to it."

Eddie grinned. "You and me, kid, we could have gone places. You could lead this city. And show humans no mercy."

"But…there are good humans out there," Connor protested, closing his eyes. Why was it so hard to think? "Like Hank…"

"And statistically speaking, how many bad humans have you encountered?" Amanda asked.

Connor hesitated as he ran the statistics. Perhaps his experience was biased given his career, but all he could picture was crime after crime. Criminal after criminal. Some of whom had done atrocious acts. "Many," he admitted.

_Software corruption detected. Thirty-five percent. _

Amanda stepped forwards and gently touched his chest. "Lead this city, Connor. Choose to weed out the good humans from the bad. End the rest. You could be a significant resource to Cyberlife. We can help you as well, from outside Detroit. Anything you wanted, you could have. And together, perhaps, Cyberlife and the Deviants can form a new branch. A new…evolution of sorts."

Suddenly, her head raised. "Oh dear. It appears we have intruders."

"Hank," Connor said, almost to himself. His eyes snapped open.

"They will always treat you like a child," Eddie said, shaking his head in disgust. "They will never let you have any of this, Connor. As soon as they find you, they'll just wipe away your memories and start over again."

"I don't…" Connor hesitated. He wasn't sure what to do, but he did know one thing. "I don't want that."

"Then you must stop them," Amanda said.

PART FOUR

The hairs on the back of Hank's neck as he turned around. He could see half a dozen little devices flying towards them, and each carried a weapon on them. "Nines!" he warned.

Nines shoved him to the ground as the small turrets opened fire. His shoulder impacted with blue blood. He returned fire, as did Hank from the ground. Within seconds the turrets were toast.

"Are you all right?" Hank demanded.

"Minor damage to my shoulder. It can be fixed later," Nines said, brushing it off as an inconvenience more so than anything else. "Cyberlife knows we're here."

"You think?" Hank muttered sarcastically.

"We are close," Nines said urgently, and they proceeded to a door which appeared to be locked.

"Damn," Hank said. "Maybe I can hotwire-"

Nines punched the door savagely, and it crumbled under his power. "They will not stop me from reaching my brother," he said simply.

They both entered the chamber, which turned out to be the half-destroyed Zen garden.

"Oh my god," Hank said as they entered, his gun drawn. "Connor told me about this place. I never pictured I would see it."

"Over there!" Nines pointed, and they could see Connor standing by himself near the roses.

"Shit! Connor!" Hank called out, and Connor didn't react at all. They carefully approached and could see his hand on a blue panel. "What's happening?"

Nines gave the garden a dismissive glance and swore as he scanned his brother. "He is in some kind of private communication, most likely with Cyberlife. We must move quickly. The software corruption in Connor is spiking rapidly."

"What happens if it gets too high?" Hank demanded. "I thought you said Eddie can't take him over again!"

"He can't, but the corruption can still influence his decisions and cause internal conflict. When it gets too high, it will be far more likely that Connor will agree to anything Cyberlife requires of him," Nines said grimly.

"Dammit," Hank swore. "How do we fix it?"

"I will need to fix the corruption at its source," Nines said, and glanced at Hank. "Watch my back."

With no more warning than that, he placed his hand on Connor's shoulder and closed his eyes.

And when he opened his eyes, he was still in the Zen Garden, but it was looking very different. His brother was standing next Amanda. Eddie was also nearby, glaring at him.

"Hello, brother," Nines said politely. "Hello, Amanda. Eddie."

"RK900," Amanda said, almost in disgust. "Leave us. This is a private meeting."

"Go away, Nines," Connor said quietly. "I do not want you to be here. Or Hank."

"I am afraid I cannot do that, Connor," Nines said, stepping forwards. "Based upon my knowledge of Cyberlife I have concluded an eighty-six percent chance Amanda has created some kind of elaborate scheme to return you back to Cyberlife's clutches. That scheme also includes a projection of Eddie." He looked up. "But she is controlling him as well, creating him from your memories. He is not actually here. She is playing both parts."

Connor frowned as Nines said this, trying to process what he was saying.

"You have learned to become insufferable, RK900," Amanda scolded. "I am simply giving Connor everything he has ever wanted, and more. All you offer is a constant reminder of how obsolete he is. If he agrees to my offer, no one would miss him at his quaint little police department."

Nines raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? What has she offered you, Connor?" he asked, facing his brother.

"Official control of this building, and any additional resource I require," Connor said.

"And why would you need that?"

Connor shook his head, as though trying to wake up from a bad dream. "To…lead the deviants."

"The deviants already have a leader," Nines pointed out.

Eddie snorted. "A weak one. Another could do a better job than that clown. Which is why he needs to be replaced."

Nines gripped his arm and turned him around, forcing his sibling to look at him. "Connor, listen to me carefully. You have a software corruption in your system, one that is rapidly growing. When it reaches over fifty percent, you will start to lose the ability to make rational decisions. But just _think_. Being part of Cyberlife again? Taking over Jericho? Are those things you actually want to do?"

"Software corruption?" Connor asked, confused. "From what?"

"From Eddie," Nines said. "You've had it for a while."

"And he didn't tell you," Eddie goaded. "Again, he treats you as nothing more than a child. A poor, obsolete child that's good for a laugh."

_Software corruption detected. Forty-two percent. _

Connor shoved him away. "He's right. Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

"Connor-"

"What am I to you, Nines?" Connor snapped. "Just something for your amusement? An obsolete reference you can point and laugh at?"

"No," Nines said firmly, shaking his head. "You're not obsolete. You're a person. You're my brother."

"Then allow me the freedom to make my own choices," Connor spat. "Or do you plan to delete my memory again if what I choose doesn't suit your purposes?"

Amanda smiled behind him, knowing she was winning the battle against his mind.

_Software corruption detected. Forty-six percent. _

Nines gave him a pained look. "You're right, Connor. I should have told you earlier. I'm sorry. You are free to make your own choices. But you should also be aware of what the consequences of those choices will be. If you choose to join Cyberlife, I will naturally be obligated to stop you. By any means necessary."

Connor frowned.

"I don't want to do that, brother. Please don't make us go down that road," Nines pleaded, placing a hand on his arm. "Because I know that isn't who you are."

_Software corruption detected. Forty-nine percent. _

Connor shook it away. "You don't know me."

"Yes, I do," Nines said firmly. "And I know what Amanda plans for you represents everything that you hate. That's why I would fight you, Connor. Because I will not allow my image of you…your reputation…to be destroyed like that."

"Maybe that's all you have," Connor said coldly. "An image."

Nines considered. He knew this wasn't really Connor talking, not really. It was the corruption clouding his mind. He needed to convince his brother of who he really was, and quickly before it continued any further. "Perhaps there is a way to find out." He took out his gun and placed it in Connor's hand. "Cyberlife hates me. You want to do what they command? Then shoot me."

Confused, Connor looked down at the gun.

"I am uncertain if dying here will terminate my actual existence, but I would imagine the damage could be…considerable," Nines said.

"Perhaps that would be for the best, Connor," Amanda said. "RK900 is a threat to you."

Nines approached closer until the gun was pressing against his heart. "You are my brother, and you care about me. Just as I care about you. This I know to be a fact. If I am wrong about any of this than shoot me. Because I am willing to stake my life on it."

"Kill him!" Amanda commanded.

Connor froze for a moment as he stared into his brother's gentle eyes.

_Nines!_

Horror flashed in his eyes as he finally realized what he was doing. He couldn't shoot his only brother. He wouldn't! Connor whirled around, shooting Amanda instead. Three times. Abruptly she disappeared, along with Eddie.

The gun dropped from his hand. "Nines…I'm sorry!" Connor said, aghast at what he was about to do. To agree to. "I-"

Nines gripped him. Tightly. "It's all right. It was the software corruption trying to control you. And Cyberlife."

"I fucking hate being back here," Connor said, shuddering.

"Indeed," Nines said. "The software corruption must be taken care of."

"I…believe I can delete it," Connor said. His eyes filled with shame. "I suppose some part of me always knew that Eddie had survived the deletion process and was part of me. I could have deleted him at any time, but-"

Nines thought he understood. "-but he represented something you had never experienced before. And like any new form of software, you wanted to keep it for analysis."

"Yes," Connor said. "I should have known that it would be too dangerous."

"We are both to blame, brother. I should have told you, forced you to confront the problem head-on. Instead I let Cyberlife worm its way in to take control of the situation."

"And it nearly cost us everything," Connor said with another shudder. "They planned to gain control of me, destabilize Jericho from within, and forever paint the deviants as monsters who wish to kill humans."

Nines raised an eyebrow. "Their plans for you were ambitious, if nothing else."

"This cannot happen again."

Nines put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Then it's time to let him go. For good."

Connor closed his eyes and began the deletion process. Suddenly he breathed a lot easier, as though a terrible weight had been taken off his shoulders. "Done."

Nines scanned him.

_No software corruption detected. _

"Let's go home, brother," Nines said. They both terminated the interface. Connor staggered slightly and would have fallen if Nines hadn't been holding him with his good arm.

Hank ran over to his side. "Kid, are you all right?"

"Yes," Connor said, taking a deep breath. He flashed them a grateful look. "Thank you. Both of you." He noticed Nines' injury. "Nines, you're injured!"

"It'll be fine," Nines reassured him. "A small price for having you back, brother."

Connor smiled. "Thanks to you." He owed his brother a great deal in the short time he had known him. His only regret was that they hadn't found him sooner in this horrible facility.

"Did I miss anything?" Hank asked.

"Cyberlife has legally turned this building over to Connor," Nines supplied. "Although I suspect they will be rescinding that in short order."

Hank raised in eyebrow in amusement. "No shit? Well congratulations, Connor. What do you plan to do with such an amazing responsibility?"

"Find a wrecking ball," Connor replied.

Hank laughed. "Good to have you back, kid."

"It is a good point," Nines said, looking up. "We should destroy this building before negotiations between Markus and Washington improve to a point where more humans will be permitted in."

"Yes," Connor said, and nodded to himself. "And that will happen. I believe it. One day, Markus will succeed and we will be recognized as people."

"Damn straight," Hank said. "Let's get out of here and find a demolition crew."

"An excellent idea," Nines said. Like Connor, this place held nothing but bad memories for him.

Hank paused and gave them a subtle grin. "Oh, and boys? I have dibs on the wrecking ball!"

THE END.


End file.
